To assist drivers in trip planning, various technical tools, for example, navigation systems, are known that propose a route, for example, to the driver and lead him to a desired destination. Such systems are frequently designed only to find a best possible solution for the respective driver without taking account of needs of other road users. Generally, however, it is desirable to optimize trips for individual vehicles in complex traffic systems with limited resources. In this context, limited resources means that facilities of the traffic system can be used efficiently only by a limited number of vehicles. By way of example, queues arise when too many vehicles use a particular road, parking spaces are available only in a limited number, etc.
In this case, existing navigation solutions can take account of traffic information or parking space availabilities, for example, to compute a route from a starting location A to a destination B along a road network. This can involve taking account of different cost functions, such as the journey time or the energy consumption of the vehicle. Methods are also known that compute a route for a sequence of many desired destinations. Such methods can optimize an order for the destinations, for example, and/or take account of residence times and resource limitations, such as freight capacity. Furthermore, traffic management systems are known. In the case of such traffic management systems, a central coordination unit takes current traffic conditions as a basis for dynamically stipulating speed limits or traffic light phases, for example.
In the case of conventional solutions of this kind, the potential for improvement in comparison with a situation without such solutions is critically dependent on an equipment rate, i.e. on what proportion of vehicles uses the relevant solutions and is equipped with corresponding apparatuses. Thus, many of the conventional solutions attain great benefit, given an equipment rate of, by way of example, 25% of equipped vehicles, in comparison with unequipped vehicles. At higher equipment rates of 60% to 80%, for example, a contrary effect frequently arises, however, so that in this case equipped vehicles perform worse than unequipped vehicles. A higher resolution of available relevant information, for example in respect of traffic density and the like, can shift this negative effect toward higher equipment rates but cannot eliminate it. The reason is systemic, since the conventional solutions behave competitively toward other road users in respect of the available resources and only take account of the individual local point of view. At a low equipment rate, the information available to the systems provides them with an benefit over unequipped vehicles. However, if a large number of equipped vehicles uses the same information basis for planning and, by way of example, uses the same local cost function for optimization, global bottlenecks are generated, since, by way of example, all equipped vehicles use the same alternate route in the event of a queue. This gives rise to the aforementioned negative effect in comparison with unequipped vehicles.
On the other hand, central traffic management systems have the opportunity, from a global system perspective, to distribute resources efficiently overall. In so doing, however, they do not or barely take account of the effects of decisions on a trip quality for individual drivers. By way of example, the trip quality of individual drivers can be severely reduced for the benefit of the overall system response. In addition, implementation is complex in the case of large traffic systems and open system boundaries.
Illustrative embodiments provide methods and apparatuses for mobility control that can also be implemented in large traffic systems with relatively little outlay, but take account of both the global resource distribution and individual requirements of the drivers and that, if at all possible, involve equipped vehicles performing no worse than unequipped vehicles even given a higher degree of equipment.
Illustrative embodiments also relate to a system having such a server arrangement and at least one such apparatus for a vehicle and also to a vehicle equipped with such an apparatus.